Book-holder



(No Model.)

J. M. STEWART & J. A. ROBERTSON.

BOOK HOLDER.

No. 338,200. -Patnted Mar. 1 1886.

WITNESSES Attorney&

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN M. STEIVART AND JOHN A. ROBERTSON, OF SPENCER, INDIANA.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,200, dated March 1 1 Application filed November 9, 1885. Serial No. 182,271. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN M. STEWART and JOHN A. ROBERTSON, both residents of Spencer, in the county of Owen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which-- Figure l is a perspective view of our improved bookholder. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a bottom view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Our invention has relation to devices for holding a number of books or papers in an upright position, standing upon their ends or edges, and having a sliding side which may be moved against the books or papers and clamp them against the rigid side; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a book-holder, in which the sliding side is actuated by springs which will force the said sliding side automatically against the sides of the books, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates a base-board, which is supported on feet or flanges B at its ends, and which may be of any desired length, according to the number of books the holder is desired to accommodate. The rigid side piece 0 is secured at one end of the base-board at a right angle to the same, and the sliding side piece D is secured to a cross-piece, E, having flanges F F at its ends, which bear against the edges of the base-board and project below the same. An anti-friction roller, G, is journaled between the ends of the flanges at the outer edge of the cross-piece, traveling upon the upper side of the base-board, and a similar roller, H, is journaled between the lower-edges of the inner ends of the flanges, bearing against the under side of the board, and the outer ends of the lower edges of the flanges are connected by means of a cross-strip, I, sliding free of the under side of the board. A roller, J, isjournaled transversely atone end of the base-board, underneath the same, and elastic straps K K the sliding side piece, and pass over the roller at the end of the board, and are secured at their other ends to the flange at the other end of the baseboard. These straps may be passed through bails at the outer ends, and be provided with buckles for the purpose of tightening them when they have become stretched by use.

It will be seen that the sliding side piece may be moved so as to bear against the out side of a number of books placed in the holder, the elastic straps or springs drawing the said sliding side piece against the books and clamping them firmly; and it will be seen that on removing one or more books from the holder the sliding side piece will automatically slide toward the books and close up the gap formed by the books being removed.

We are aware that a book rack or holder has been heretofore constructed consisting of a base-piece and two automatic sliding clamps, and we do not therefore claim such construction; but

\Vhat We claimas our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a book-h0lder, the combination of a base-board having a rigid upright side piece having flanges at its ends, and having antifriction rollers pivoted between the outer ends of the flanges above the board, and between the inner ends of the flanges below the board, and having an upright side piece and springs secured to the slide and drawing it toward the rigid side piece, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a book-holder, the combination of a base-board having an upright rigid side piece at one end, and having a roller j ournaled under the end having the rigid side piece, a slide having flanges at the edges of the base-board, and having anti-friction rollers bearing against the upper and under sides of the board, journaled between the flanges, and provided with a cross-strip below the board and an upright side piece above the board, and elastic straps are secured at their ends to the cross-strip of at one end, a slide formed by a cross-piece secured to the cross-strip of the slide and passing over the roller at the end of the board, and secured at their other ends to the other end of the board, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. In a book-holder, the combination of a baseboard having an upright rigid side piece at one end, and having a rollerjournaled under the board at the end having the side piece, a slide traveling upon the board and having an upright side piece and a portion sliding under the board, and elastic straps secured to the lower portion of the slide and passing over the roller at the end of the base-board, and secured at the other end of the base-board, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

4. In a boolcholder, the combination of a Witnesses:

GEORGE E. SMITH, JAMEs XV. EYNON. 

